So who is actually in Brisbane (Aust)?

[Bouj]

I know there is a few of us - just wondered how many and who?

i don't bet but dodgy TV, Hmmmmm...

Now then, that's got you thinking hasn't it?

lol at "Northside" nad " snouthside"

what about the east-side fool!

..sorry, i'll get my coat.

What's Brisbane like? Cosmopolitan? Gorgeous climate? Big cheap houses? Should I emigrate?

tropical climate, cheap houses (as with all countries outside the UK!). Not very cosmo really but North Queensland is really nice all round.

actually, it's not north queensland is it, it's south.

South-east Queensland to be precise DaddyCool

When were you over here last? Property is quite a bit more expensive now than it used to be, but in comparison it's probably still cheaper than in the UK. And it's certainly more cosmopolitan than it used to be! Not so much the 'country-town' atmosphere any more, it's got more of a modern city feel now. I'd much rather find my way around Brisbane than Sydney, that's for sure!

yeh dc -housing prices have gone through the roof compared to what they were when I left. I was tempted to sell my house whilst in the UK - so glad I did not - might have had a nice little bit of equity but to get something equivalent or better we would have to have a mortgage twice the size of our equity - not easy to do on one wage... so we are slowly renovating and redecorating this one. Want to be mortgage free as soon as possible.

Does have a more cosmopolitan feel about it but still more laid back and casual than Sydney and Melbourne.

Just spent the weekend in Toowoomba - lovely place.. haven't visited there for years and years.

Re TV - one word - FOXTEL

dh tried to watch the cricket but we had to take dd1 to the hospital Mon night so he didnot get to finish watching it - by the time we got home he was knackered and had to get up two hours later to go to work.

God yes, Foxtel. It was the first thing DH did, so that he could watch English football in the middle of the night.... Brisbane is a bit of an overgrown country town. Nice if you're a kid or you have kids - for the bit in between most people end up going elsewhere!!

I loved it even as an in between but I guess it depends on your tastes. Have friends who arrived here from UK - ( f - aussie, m - brit) and they seem to have found enough to occupy themselves.

Bouj - foxtel was the first thing dh ordered once he had a job - given that we both arrived here unemployed and me 20 weeks pregnant - finding a job was a priority - savings only went so far. He was so glad when he got a job so he could have his foxtel - to watch his beloved Chelsea in the middle of the night

Not Brissy but still QLD - and Daddycool - it's getting very hot...and very sticky...and it's still only September. Think we'll be heading south come the summer as often as poss at this rate! And the snake warnings have started on the local news. But we still love it here! Dying for a house on stilts but that'll have to wait until next time. House prices def better than UK cities and as for petrol...it may have gone up 30% even in the 7 weeks we've been here but it's still half the price of home.

If you QLD guys had three weeks to spend (not nec consecutively) on holiday (pref in Aus) - where are your must gos?

hannahsaunt it depends on interest and budget really. You could do south-east Qld and northern NSW. Sunshine Coast - beaches and hinterland (montville is gorgeous), theme parks at gold coast, wineries through various hinterland areas, pop down to Byron Bay in NSW. All of these areas have accommocation ranging from resorts to camping.

sunshine coast/gold coast and their hinterlands, northern NSW - Byron, Brunswick heads, Kingscliff, Pottsville sort of areas...

Tasmania - have always wanted to go there.

Uluru - Cairns for reef and rainforest, friends (from the UK) did Uluru in three days... then headed back to Sydney before coming to Brisbane and then driving to Cairns. Fraser Island.

I'll be back in Bne next year (still in UK, having 2nd baby in Dec) - somehow managed to acquire dh and dd in the past 10yrs here
Won't have lived there for 13yrs at that point, so bit apprehensive but really looking forward to the lifestyle changes.

scully - when we came back last year I was 19 weeks pregnant with dd2

so are we having a meet up sometime in the future - I thought perhaps we could meet in the city botanical gardens - fab cafe.....

bump

Thanks for the tips. Looking at the Whitsundays for a long weekend next month and may do Cairns the same way to save block weeks for the Sydney/wine area and the whole NT/Darwin/Uluru adventure. Quite lucky that we can do outback and rainforest within good driving distances for weekend trips. Could really use serious retail therapy with big city shops though... And reconsidering who we're going diving with after this weekend!

we can fy to hamilton island very cheaply although they have just redone Great Keppel as a family friendly island rather than a party one...

fly that should be

anyone for a possible meet up?

I'm not there, but dh is from Brisbane. Parents live in Robertson - ashamed to say that even after two visits, I haven't a clue whether that is north or south of the river - south maybe?

I envy you in a way - lovely place. Kids loved it. How is the weather right now?